Two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Click to enlarge)

I began this blog in April of this year.  When deciding what photo to post since then, I tried not to show an overabundance of pets in costumes…in deference to my readers from other parts of the country/world.  But we’re in it now, folks!  From here through Mardi Gras it’s about the costume.  You may think that’s funny, but what’s even funnier is that this image was captured in JULY of 2008!  Uh huh.  July.  No reason at all to dress up, yet there they were playing the part.  That’s how we roll.

I speak often about directing the shot either in your imagination or your clients’.  I am inspired by the coats and colors of the animals and whatever their human companion has brought for them to wear or be posed with.  The only rule in my studio is that no one is allowed to be hurt or be put in danger.  After that, sky’s the limit.

So get ready to to see what my clients and I have come up with over these past 4 years.  Some will make you smile, and I suspect some will inspire you .

Pedro The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Click to enlarge)

My first dog as an away-from-the-nest young adult must have been of Spaniel descent.  She looked very much like Pedro, pictured here.  Loyal and true with an almost knightly honor, Moya was my friend, my confidant, who joined me willingly on roads less traveled in the late ’60s.

I haven’t met many Cavs, but I have met a few Spaniels.  Whether of mixed or pure heritage, they have eyes that are pools, which seem to hold secrets only they know, but which weigh heavily on their souls.  Would they share if they could?

Dogs with eyes like Pedro’s and Moya’s make me wax poetic but somber.  My hope for the plight of animals seem to rest as secure as wishes bought with coins dropped in fountains, which go unanswered every day.  When you meet  a caregiver, a rescuer, who seems to have sharper edges than most, who is of short temper, who may be unyielding and seemingly uncooperative, do not judge.  These are the unsung heroes.  These are soldiers still willing to fight the war of abuse, slaughter and neglect, but for them we have no front liners.  They need our support.  Our time.  Our money.

While picking your battles may be prudent, the fronts are vast.  While the rescue of humans from the pervasive poverty which afflicts them can bring a nation to its knees, we also must remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated“.  I fear our nation has a long way to go.

If you cannot volunteer, these organizations need your monetary support: St. Tammany Animal Resource Team (START), St. Tammany Humane Society, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, Greyhound Pets of America – Louisiana Chapter, Greyhound Pets of America – National, Animal Welfare Institute, Front Range Equine Rescue, and many more too numerous to mention.  If you have money, and would like to help but don’t know where to donate, please contact Sisters Pet Pics for suggestions.  We will help you find a cause near and dear to your own heart.

Brody The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Click to enlarge)

Meet Brody.  Twelve years of still active and willing.  Though diabetic (insulin twice a day) he looked spry to us when he arrived for his time in the lights.  If glancing quickly you may not see his gentleness, in spite of his exaggerated under-bite.  In this age of improving-daily veterinary practices and procedures, many more of us will be graced with our beloved animal friends much longer than ever before…but not all of us.

Surprisingly, veterinary medicine is still not universally accessible for all pets..  They have had the technology to improve and lengthen a dog’s life for quite some time, but the extreme expense of treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy has forced many of us to make an impossible choice.  Thousands of dollars is an insurmountable sum for many loving, but working class pet owners.

Today I do not criticize or judge; I lament these costs and wonder why we have allowed the seeming uncontrolled breeding of a species to the detriment of that species.  If there are too many dogs and cats to afford each of them adequate medical care, then why have we allowed their numbers to swell beyond what a person, family, community, country can care for?

Revolutionary thought coming, one from which a more practicable solution may arise.  Imagine what would happen if there was a moratorium on breeding puppies and kittens for five years.  Radical, for sure, but even if we could not trap/capture all ferals and stop their breeding, if we weren’t replacing them daily with puppies and kittens purposely bred in homes and kennels, within five years the population would be reduced significantly.  My breeder readers could take heart that in five years your puppies and kittens will be cherished and sought after.  As I do not have empirical data to support this claim, I will quite understand reader dissension, but it must be time for some new plan.

Insane: doing the same thing and expecting a different result.  We cannot continue to place this burden on the few no-kill shelters and independent rescuers acting on their own.  In some cases these rescuers deny their human family so they may help in this cause.  We have two choices.  Throw money at it or throw laws at it.  One thing I know, chugging along as we’ve been will not improve the lives of animals.

Luckily sweet Brody cares not a lick about this discussion.  His care is exceptional, and his sunset years will be spent receiving the advantages of all the medical advances.